Soybean production in the country has increased by about 6 per cent to nearly 126 lakh tonnes in the current kharif season due to favourable weather conditions, an organisation of the crop processors said on Tuesday.

Its acreage remained almost the same as last season, the trade body said.

During the last kharif season, the average productivity of soybean per hectare in the country was 1,002 kg, while this time it has increased to 1,063 kg, Soybean Processors Association of India (SOPA) Executive Director D N Pathak told PTI.

"This time the distribution of monsoon rains in the major soybean producing areas of the country was good, which boosted the crop yield. The adoption of advanced methods of farming by cultivators and increased the crop yield," he said.

After the sowing of soybean during the kharif season of 2023, there was a severe lack of moisture in the fields due to lack of rain for three weeks in the major soybean producing areas in August, as a result the crop productivity fell, Pathak said.

As per the SOPA's estimate, during the kharif season in the country this time, soybean was sown in 118.32 lakh hectares and its yield was 125.82 lakh tonnes.

During the kharif season of 2023, soybean was sown in a total of 118.55 lakh hectares in the country and the yield of this oilseed crop was around 118.74 lakh tonnes, as per the association's data.

This time in Madhya Pradesh, which is the largest soybean producer in the country, the crop was sown in about 52 lakh hectares and its production stood at the level of 55.40 lakh tonnes, according to the SOPA.

In the current kharif season, soybean production is estimated to be 50.17 lakh tonnes from 45 lakh hectares of area in Maharashtra, while the crop was sown in 11.13 lakh hectares in Rajasthan and its yield was around 10.53 lakh tonnes, as per the organisation.

India imports about 60 per cent of its edible oil requirements. In such a situation, experts feel that to achieve the ambitious target of self-sufficiency in the production of edible oils, there is a need to increase the production of major oilseed crops like soybean in the country.

The central government has increased the minimum support price (MSP) of soybean for the marketing season 2024-25 to Rs 4,892 per quintal from Rs 4,600 per quintal in the last season.